Store-service apparatus



(No Model.)

B. G. ALGI EM STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

Patented May 25, 1886.

WITNESSES @726 f 65% N. PETERS, Phulo-Ulhcgrlphur, Washington, 0,0,

INI'TED STATES PATENT ()FFICEO BENJAMIN C. ALGIE, OF OGDENSBURG, NElV YORK.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SFBCIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,557, dated May 1886.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN O. ALGIE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ogdensburg, in the county of St. Lawrence and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in StoreService Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object the production of a store-service apparatus which shall possess advantages in the points of simplicity of construction and efficiency in operation; and it consists, broadly, in a track composed of a single horizontal wire, a carriage supported on said wire, and means for propelling the said carriage in both directions on the said track, as will he hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of myimproved store-service apparatus, and Fig. 2 is aperspective view'of the carriage.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Referring to the several parts by letter, A represents the taut supporting or track wire, on which the carriageB travels, the said wire extending from a point above the salesman to a point suitably near and above the cashiers desk. This wire 'is arranged perfectly horizontal, as shown, and may be secured at any desired height.

B represents the carriage, which travels upon the horizontal track A, and which supports at its lower end removably the receptacle or basket D, which may be of any suitable construction. This carriage 13 consists of a bracket provided at its upper end with two or more grooved rollers, B B, which are secured with in the upper end of the bracket in the same horizontal plane, and which run upon the taut horizontal wire A, the groove B of these rollers being of such a size in cross-section as to admit of the taut wire fitting snugly therein, this arrangement effectually preventing the carriage from slipping sidewise,while at the same time the said grooves are made sufficiently large to prevent the rollers binding on the trackwvire, and permit the carriage to move freely on the same. In the lower end of the carriage-bracket is pivot-ally secured a third grooved roller, B, for the purpose which will be hereinafter specified.

O 0 represent the propelling or operating cords or wires, the said cords being attached at their inner ends to the track-wire at suitable distances from the ends of the same, and being secured at points near their outer or free ends to the lower ends of fine spiral springs E E, Y which are secured at their upper ends in close proximity or immediately to the ends of the track-wire, the said spiral springs serving to normally hold the portions of the operating-cords between the said springs and their points of attachment nearly parallel with the track-wire, as shown in'Fig. 1 of the drawings. The outer ends of the operating-cords, beyond the points where they are attached to the spiral springs hang down, and are provided at their extremities with suitable handles, 0 O.

The manner in which my improved storeservice apparatus is operated is as follows: The carriage B being at the salesmans end of the track-wire A, with the operating-cord at that end passing over the grooved roller 13 in the lower end of the bracket and resting in the groove of the same, and the cash or parcel, or both, having been placed in the basket D, the salesman takes hold of the lower end or handle of the operating-cord at his end of the service and pulls down upon the same. As the said operating cord passes over the grooved roller B in the lower end of the carriagebracket, the downward force thus exerted on the free end of the operating-cord will serve to propel the carriage forward on the track-wire until it reaches the other end of the same at the cashiers end of the service, the spiral spring E yielding sufficiently to admit of the downward movement of the outer end of the operating-cord, while as soon as the operator releases the end of the said cord the said spring will serve to bring it back into its normal position. After the carriage passes beyond the end of one operating-cord its own momentum will serve to carry it forward to the other end of the track-wire. The grooved roller in the lower end of the bracket is arranged sufficiently near the upper supporting-rollers to insure its engagement with the inner end of the propelling-cord toward which it is traveling. When the cashier is ready to return the basket to the salesman, he pulls the free end of the operating-cord at his end of the service sharply down, thereby propelling the carriage to the other end of the horizontal track, as before described, but in the opposite direction.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of myimproved store-service apparatus will be readily understood without requiring further explanation.

It will be seen that my improved store-service apparatus is exceedingly simple in construction, being entirely devoid of all compli cated mechanism which is liable to break orget out of order, and can therefore be manufactured at a small cost, while at the same time it is very eflicient-in its operation. The propelling-cords O O are secured at their inner ends to the track-wire at such a distance from the end thereof that the impetus given the cara track composed of a single horizontal wire,

a carriage supported thereon, and means for propelling the said carriage in both directions on the said track, and '1' do not therefore, claim such construction, broadly; but" WhatI claim as my invention, and-desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s-

As an improvement zi'n-store-service apparatus, the combination of the track composed of a single horizontal wire, the carriagebracket provided with the upper and lower grooved rollers, arranged as described, the propelling-cords secured atone of their ends to the under side of the track-wire at suitable distances from the ends of the said wire, and extending beneath the same, as described, and the spiral springs secured each at its 1 upper end to or in close proximity to the end of the track-wire, and at its' lower end to the; propellingcord, so as to hold the said cords normally substantially parallel with the track- 50 wire, all constructcd-and-arranged in the mann'er and for the purpose herein shown and bet forth.

In testimony that I claim-the foregoing-as my own I have hereunto aifixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN- G. ALGIE.

"Witnesses: GEO. B. SHEPARD, FRANCES E.- DUANE; 

